Right Back Resolved – And Pre-Season Predictions

SPANISH right back Damia Abella has arrived at Boro pencilled in as Aitor Karanka’s main man in that position.  He is physically imposing, fast and has a La Liga winners medal from his fledgling years at Barcelona. He has played in Europe with Betis. He has played for the Catalan side along with a who’s who of football greats. He has played 120 games in the Spanish  top flight in the past four seasons as a virtual ever present with the Pamplona-based side to suggest he is robust.  And Karanka knows him well. The boss has played against him and  believes he has the skill set and attitude to flourish in the Championship.

He arrived as a free agent after being released by relegated Osasuna who need to trim their wage bill. They didn’t want to lose him. He was widely regarded as one of their best  performers last term and is a firm fans favourite. At 32 is  experienced without being over the hill.  And he is tall. At six foot two he will help  Boro look like a Land of the Giants defence – Ayala, Big Ken, Gibbo and George are all  over six foot… it is all a far cry when Boro defended corners with the likes of Tony Mac, Batesy and Joe Bennett in the box.

So, Abella  has an impressive CV and ticks a lot of the bosses’ boxes…. “but he is not Aitor’s first choice”  the cry goes up.  He’s second best. He’s rubbish. Booooo. Typical Boro!

Putting aside the naive notion that every other team get every one of their “first choice” players  and the infantile foot-stomping moans that the club are complete failures in the market (the club have delivered almost every one of Karanka’s priorities so far this summer …  although the Adam Clayton situation remains unresolved) Damia Abella was  among  the manager’s top targets. Aitor is delighted to have him.  He fits the system. He is a player he knows and wants. He is a specialist. And for this one thing we are happy.

Far from being an after thought, Abella  was on the list of suggested right back targets that the boss and the scouting department lead by Gary Gill drew up at the end of May.  A clutch of targets, all of them broadly meeting the criteria. One may be faster. One my be taller. One be more defensive minded. One may be better VFM or have a resale value.  Another one of two may only be available on loan.  But they were all judged to be players who would adapt to the Championship, would fit into the system, would buy into the philosophy and methodology, would  be affordable and would improve the team.

Clubs don’t start at the top of the list and work their way down. They court all their targets simultaneously and see what  develops and which ones are most amenable to a move.  There is no point spending time and money working on a player who does not want to come and from a club who doesn’t want to sell. Unless you are ready and able to throw a lot of money  at recruitment  it is difficult to get everyone you want.  If you want them at the right price there is a lot of spadework to do. A lot of people to persuade. A lot of wrangling over money and clauses and bonuses and structures and exchanges rates.  Whatever some fans think, it  is not simply a case of picking the one you want and making a phone call. There is no “buy now” button. You can’t just “click and collect.”

It is more like buying a house: measuring location against price, against  number of bedrooms, against the work that needs doing, against vacant possession, against the school catchment area, against the  possibility of adding value with an extension, against  the danger of being caught in a chain, against the chances of selling your own property at the right price. There are a lot of variables. If you want a dream property you have to pay over the odds. And even then it doesn’t always go smoothly. Most people have to weigh up the pros and cons and compromise here to get the best possible  property in the best part of town that they can afford. Even if it doesn’t have that en suite and double garage.

So Abella was one of the clutch of right-backs that Karanka viewed.  He wasn’t the only one of course. Juanfran was one, we know that much.  The Real Betis right-back was the dream home. Karanka courted him. for months.  He came to Rockliffe and was impressed. His girlfriend loved the spa and the scenery. His agent was happy.  The figures stacked up. It looked like the deal would be done. And then he got cold feet. He worried he would fail to bridge the culture gap and get  home sick. Fair enough. The cynics sneered as he was linked with a string of Italian clubs but he hasn’t left Seville yet. Who can blame him?

There were others viewed too. There was the “mystery”  foreign Under-21 international, the Italian Alessandro Crescenzi  of Roma. The mention of him sparked a frenzied guessing game among the ITK  snippet sifters and Football Manager addicts who know all the “must buys”  in every European league. Sorry, it wasn’t the ones from Real Madrid or Barca that everyone had persuaded themselves it must be. No one even got close.

You may not know him but the club do. He was scouted extensively at the tail end of last season. The highly rated youngster has played at every youth level for Italy and 19 times for the Under 21s,  has bounced about on loan in Italy and France and was desperate  for a chance to step up to a big league to prove himself.  He came incredibly close to joining but the numbers didn’t add up and after a number of increasingly frustrating meetings failed to bridge the gap  the deal drifted.

Then there was the Premier League right-back, who we must presume was Matt Lowton. Again the deal stumbled. Partly because the numbers didn’t stack up –  I don’t know what he is on at Aston Villa or how much a team would be expected to stump up to take him but he won’t come cheap – and partly because he was holding out for a Premier League move. That is not really a surprise.  Like Stephen Ireland last summer there was an interest there in a move that may be mutually beneficial – Boro were said to have ‘first refusal’ should he decide to go on loan to the Championship – but the Angle Wing Tattoo Merchant dragged it out as long as possible waiting and as soon as Stoke came in, it was a no-brainer for him.

Then there is  Avdija Vrsajevic. Boro have an interest in the Bosnian World Cup goal-getter who plays at Hadjuk and is available on the cheap (Euros 500,000 has been suggested in the Croatian press) who have reported quite strongly that he is Boro bound – but there is a red tape hurdle to clear first.

Currently he doesn’t qualify for a work permit. He has played 14 times for Bosnia and is now considered a regular but falls just short of the 75% of games in the last two years needed. Bosnia play two games early next month that would push him above the threshold but that will be after the transfer window closes.  Chances are that should Boro make a move they would swing it on appeal but they needed the question resolved now.

So Abella it is out of that group. From what I can make out he was ahead of the  Bosnian and level with the Italian in the reckoning a month ago but it was initially thought he would cost more than those two. That he has managed to engineer his exit as free agent from cash-strapped Osasuna as part of their close-season cost-cutting has catapulted him to the top of the list.  He is now free and available. Sometimes you get lucky.

*****

OK,  its that time of the year again…  put your money where your mouth is.

Obviously as a confirmed glass half-full type I go into every August full of optimism – but this year I am really upbeat .  I’m setting my sights on Wembley and the play-offs. I’m not a complete ra-ra. I’m not betting on automatic promotion.

Karanka shaped the squad he inherited into a well organised unit last term.  After a long spell of solidity they started to find more firepower and finished with a flourish, rattling off six wins in the last eight including beating Burnley, Derby and Brighton, only losing to QPR after the bottle top bobble and they started to score a lot of goals.

Since then Karanka has recruited carefully to bring in people suited to his system and with others yet to come to fill the obvious gaps – another striker, a wide left player – Boro will be hard to beat and will be far more potent going forward.  So, fitting for this division. And there is nothing to fear. The teams that have come down don’t look overly impressive. It comes down to consistency and I think Karanka wil instil that.

So I’m going for a play-off place. Fifth. No. What the hell . FOURTH. It’s going to be a brilliant season. And this year I won’t have to cancel the hotel booking.

What about you?